X-Message-Number: 14359
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 17:59:19 -0500
From: david pizer <>
Subject: "Ralph's journey" is about the problems of problems of getting

Ralph's Journey is a story about how hard it was to get frozen in the
earlier years.  It tries to show (among many other things) how people of
government (and other) authority caused problems for earlier cryopioneers.
 Besides the government there were adverse actions from hospitals and
relatives, advisors and clergy that cause some people not to get frozen or
get substandard suspensions, or caused Alcor more problems in getting the
job done.  It is too bad that it is still too early to tell some of the
real secrets of the movement.  But this little fictional story can give a
newcomer a feeling of what it was like.

>From: 
>Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 11:37:19 EDT
>Subject: Re: Ralphs Journey

>Just finished reading Ralphs Journey.  The discription of the book at Amazon 
>and on the back of the book all takes place in the last 20 pages of the
book! 

Here is what is says on the back of the book:  "Ralph Dombrowski is a
successful businessman whose career is cut short by a terminal illness.
Determined not to be beaten, Ralph has his body placed in a cryogenic
state. When a cure for his illness is finally discovered, he is
resuscitated.  In the 22nd century."


> I thought the extensive character build up was to give them depth when they 
>are re-animated in the future but all they do is say Hi to Ralph!   Why
write 
>a whole book about a car salesmans life when you have a fasinating subject 
>like being awakened 150 years in the future? 

At the time I wrote the book, over ten years ago, the fate of the cryonics
movement was in doubt.  Your comments have made me aware of how much the
movement has progressed in just over 10 years, as there now is little doubt
that anyone (who wants to) can get frozen.

This should reflect well on the hard work done by cryonics leaders during
those trying times.  Cryopioneers like Kent, Leaf, Darwin, Mondragon,
Bridge, Hixon, and of course Ettinger - the founder, and Quaife, Segal etc,
not just people at Alcor but at the other organizations.  Because the
adverse conditions that Alcor faced in the late 80's and earlier 90's now
seem a thing of the past, new people into the movement don't realize that
there was that period where cryonics was almost wiped out.  The Alcor
victory over the government raid of Alcor in 88 was not the end, in fact it
only brought more pressure and it was when we moved to Arizona that things
got better.  Go figure? 


> Oh well, just my two cents 
>worth.  But I do feel this book was falsely advertised.  Eric Daly

Your "two cents worth" are appreciated.  I can understand how you might be
dissapointed  that the book was more about the problems of getting frozen
and the conflicts that cryoncists had with authorities in the earlier
years, but I don't see how you can come to the conclusion that it is
falsely advertized as I don't see where it is advertized as a story about
what happens *after* one is resuscitated.

Thanks for the input.  Thanks also to help from Mike Perry and Steve Bridge.

Dave Pizer

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